What is a Concert Guitar and Who Is Most Suited to This Type of Guitar

This post will set out what a concert guitar is and what kind of guitarist this type of guitar is most suited to.

What is a Concert Guitar?

To the musical newcomer, the world of guitars can be an overwhelming one.

Electrics and Acoustics

In the broadest scope, there are electric and acoustic guitars. Both of these types of guitars are, more or less, played the same way, but produce very different sounds and a very different experience for the player.

The world of electric guitars is limitless, with the types of electronics they use varying as widely as the music they produce.

Acoustic and Classical Guitars

There are many varieties within the world of acoustic guitars too, but again we can break them down into another binary: steel string and nylon string instruments.

Steel string guitars are popular within pop, country, folk and even rock music. They are easy to identify as they typically have a larger body and narrower neck than a nylon string guitar. Upon playing both types of guitars, you will notice that the feel of the strings varies greatly between the two varieties. Steel string guitars are somewhat easier to play, with a feel similar to that of an electric guitar.

Pick up a nylon string guitar and you will find it to be very different from either steel string acoustic or electric guitars. The soft nylon strings are spaced out upon a wider neck and produce a softer, less “twangy” tone.

Nylon string guitars are usually referred to as classical guitars.

The Concert Guitar

Within the category of acoustic guitars, we still have further subcategories that differentiate size, shape, and even the type of woods used in the construction of the guitar.

One very popular choice of steel string acoustic guitar is the “Concert” guitar. Concert guitars are distinct from other acoustics in both tone and functionality, making them sound very pleasing overall as well as being very playable.

Who is the Concert Guitar Most Suited to?

Dreadnought (left) next to Concert (right)

Who should play a concert guitar depends upon what specific qualities they desire from their instrument.

These traits come from the fact that concert guitars are slightly smaller overall, as compared to something like a more robust dreadnaught style guitar. A dreadnaught, for instance, is somewhat louder with a more full tone than a concert guitar.

What concert guitars lack in volume however, they make up for with a very articulate tone that is strong in the middle and upper ranges.

The Size and Shape

The size and shape of the guitar do not merely affect how it sounds, but also how it plays as well. A concert guitar’s body is slightly thinner than other acoustic guitars, which makes it more comfortable for smaller people to play.

Along with this, the length of the neck is ½-3/4 of an inch shorter. This makes fretting easier, partially because the shorter neck decreases tension on the strings, giving them a “softer” feel.

So Who Plays these Guitars?

With consideration to all of these characteristics, concert guitars are a popular choice for a variety of players.

Guitarists who prefer to play fingerstyle appreciate concert guitars for the advantages of lower string tension and articulate tone.

Beginners or smaller musicians may simply appreciate the more manageable size of the concert guitar, with it being a little easier for them to manipulate.

There is no set of hard and fast rules as to who should play a concert guitar however— any guitarist who picks one up will appreciate the many positive qualities of these instruments.

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